ATHENS — A week ago, Georgia cornerback Sheldon Dawson was preparing for his first game in a Bulldog uniform. With his debut behind him, Dawson and the rest of Georgia’s defensive backs are ready for their next task — Missouri’s spread offense.

Georgia’s secondary could have its hands full against Missouri’s plethora of targets with receivers such as T.J. Moe and 6-foot-6 freshman Dorial Green-Beckham. According to Dawson, they are embracing the challenge.

“It’s going to be good to cover a lot of people,” said Dawson. “It’s a chance to show that our DBs can hang in there and be one of the best defensive back corps in the NCAA.”

Nine of the 17 receivers on Missouri’s roster are 6-foot-2 or taller, and Georgia may be without both of its tallest cornerbacks — 6-1 Malcolm Mitchell (injury) and 6-2 Sanders Commings (suspension). With All-American safety Bacarri Rambo also reportedly suspended, Georgia must find a way to match up with Missouri’s tall receivers.

Last week’s starting cornerbacks — Damian Swann, Branden Smith and Devin Bowman — are expected to receive the majority of playing time this week, along with Mitchell if healthy. Dawson said if his number is called upon, he’ll be ready to defend anyone regardless of size.

“I go against a lot of guys that are big here,” said Dawson. “I believe I can hang with anybody. It’s all about a mind thing and where your state of mind is.”

Regardless of who is on the field, Dawson said coaches have prepared the secondary for what to expect.

“We pretty much try to cover a lot of things, so nobody will ever be by themselves unless it’s a blown coverage,” said Dawson. “We try to be accountable for each other. If my man is ‘X,’ I have make sure I’m on ‘X’ all across the field.

“It’s all about being accountable for each other and yourself. In case I miss on a coverage, there’s going to be someone overlooking me that’s going to pick that up and help me correct it for next time.”

“To be honest, I came from old man football,” Lynch, a Massachusetts native, said regarding Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson’s tweet earlier in the week. “My high school was actually more spread, so maybe we were new era football. I think the wing-T is the old school football. I love that personally. I like that old school stuff.”

While Lynch and Richardson’s opinions differ, Lynch could understand what would lead Richardson to defend his team as the Tigers transition to the Southeastern Conference.

“People have probably been saying ‘SEC, SEC, SEC’ out there,” said Lynch. “For him to say that (Georgia plays old man football), good for him, because that’s what I would do.”

The way Lynch sees it, Missouri is finally right where it belongs.

“They’re joining this league with a pretty good resume,” Lynch said. “They’ve always had good players and they’ve been doing pretty well since that staff has been there. If you’ve been invited to the SEC, you deserve to be here.”